Regata di Brindisi December 19, 2010

Some photos from today. I was looking for Christmas photos but found this race instead.

More Christmasy

I have a tree like I mentioned so how could things get more Christmasy. Well it would take a little help from Mother Nature and we got it. For the first time I saw snow in Brindisi.This photo below is from Friday night.

It only lasted about 10 minutes but Maurizio at the pizzeria said he hadn't seen anything like this in at least 6 years so this appears to be our "once in a decade snow". I heard about this thing when I first moved here and now I've ived through it. I walked into the center of town with my camera ready. I was hoping the snow would start falling again. I sat down and took the first picture in this post. This Christmas tree in the center of town and I thought it woud be great to have a photo of it with snow in air but it didn't happen. It was frickin' cold and not many people were out (as you can see). I gave up and went home to get something warm to eat. We had on and off flurries all night so I went to bed dreaming of a white blanket of fresh snow greeting me in the morning. I didn't get a blanket of snow but I did see this Saturday morning at 9:30 AM



I was lucky to get this because if I would have slept to 11 or 11:30 the snow would have been completely gone. It never did "stick". I saw a few kids making snowballs from the snow on cars. It was hilarious because it seemed like good fun but most of cars were filthy so the snowballs were dirty brown and they quickly realized this wasn't a good mix with their nice jackets.

A TREE!!!

I got a tree today and I'm so bubbling with Christmas spirit I had to post again today. It was a complete surprise because as I was coming in the building after work I saw my neighbor putting her tree up. I knocked on her door to applaud her holiday spirit and more importantly to make fun of her because she still doesn't have the required white lights on her balcony. I'm pretty sure from the looks of it that you are only allowed to have white lights in my building. To this joke I was greeted by two strings of white lights and spent the next half an hour zip tying them to her balcony. She was impressed (but not surprised) that I had a stash of zip tyes that were perfect for the occasion. We were talking as I worked and naturally I started to whine about how I didn't have a tree. She immediately offered her old little one. So now I have the display you see in the photo. The tree is only about 1.5 feet tall but it's the spirit that counts. Do you see the little clay manager scene under the tree? And I have Santa. I need to get some ornaments or I could use cat toys because I have feeling that's what anything I put on that tree will become!

Back to Normal...for now...

For those of you who don’t read other Italian blogs then you may be surprised to learn that all the truck drivers in Italy were on strike from Monday thru Wednesday. It was a madhouse, at least from what I saw on TV, because here in Brindisi very little actually happened. On TV I saw store shelves empty of fruits, vegetables, and other perishable goods but here in Brindisi I went shopping last night at Mino’s then the local veggie place and I didn’t notice a thing out of place. Maybe they were a little low on castagne nuts and Mino didn’t have any mozzarella di bufula (he did have regular mozzarella) but then he never has it on Wednesdays. He’s closed on Thursday so it doesn’t make sense to stock up, as he wouldn’t want it to sit around for a day. It’s nice being so close to the food and goods you buy because even without trucks we get by. It’s funny because Rosalba’s husband was leaving the veggie place as I came in. He was smiling ear to ear as he was going to deliver food to the big supermarket outside of town. I’m sure he screwed them on price AND quality because there isn’t a lot of love between the big supermarkets and the mom and pop grocery store.
One part of the strike that we were not immune to was the gas shortage. There were huge lines for people filling up their cars but that was just the panic buying that surrounds any sciopero (if you don’t know that means “strike” then you haven’t be reading an Italian blog for very long!). Tuesday night I was driving my boss to the airport and there were already these lines surrounding gas stations. I’m thinking I’m sure the gas stations have a few days of gas stocked up. Of course I was wrong because almost all were out of gas last night and today. But still this doesn’t affect me because I go for weeks on tank of gas. I walked to work today because there is hardly a cloud in the sky and on the way home I want to harass Lucia at the cafe because today is the saint’s day for Santa Lucia. If we had a Lucia at work then we would have cornetti but nooo. Maybe on the way home I’ll get a free coffee from her. That may be asking a bit too much.
Still this strike was pretty amazing as strikes go. I’m just lucky in that there isn’t much that I need and there wasn’t any place I needed to go. The trucks were trying to make life hell for as many people as they could. Not only did they not deliver goods but they also blocked the highways. So what was the deal? They were upset about high gas prices and abusive (illegal) trucks. There is nothing that can be done about high gas prices and I see the police pulling over trucks all the time checking their "paperwork". So I really don't know what they are crying about. The government promised to work on some new law that will limit out of country trucks from going more than 120 km into Italy and they will spend more money on roads. Big riggin deal. All this chaos for nothing really. A friend at work says that this strike was also politically inspired as the political right is trying to get the left out of power. If the country is “out of control” then the political right can call for a new government, which they have been doing ever since the day Prodi was sworn in. This political bickering is amazing. It's just getting going in the US and the election is just under a year away.

Brindisi=Cheers

You wanna be where everyone knows your name… Actually Brindisi does mean Cheers in Italian, sort of... Anyway, the story will explain the title. But first I’m sorry about the photo above. It was the best I could do given the situation.
I looked out my window Saturday night and I saw this Ape in front of the building with a Christmas tree. I immediately thought that my sister would love this. I’m still working on bringing an Ape home for Christmas, sis. The first thing I think to do is grab my camera and race out the door because I don’t know how long it will be there. As I bound down the stairs and I hear voices in the stairwell that are getting louder as go down and sure enough I passed the Christmas tree delivery guy on the second floor. Crap, I can tell from the chitchat, as I sneak by, that he’s done and on his way down too. I’m walking out the building and thinking, “Now where can I rest the camera to get the photo” but a strange thing happens. I start getting wet! Crap it’s raining. I didn’t even notice that. I retreated back to the cover of the building. So it’s raining, the guy’s coming, and I really have no way or time to get the photo like I want. No time to think, I just decide to do the best I can and see what I can do with it on the computer.
By now the guy is coming out of the building so I thought I should ask before taking a photo. We went through the usual stuff about me being a foreigner etc, etc. Then he said, “I know you. You’re the American that came in to buy flowers once. I’m from the florist next to the pharmacy.” Now that’s like saying the gas station next to the McDonalds in the USA. It doesn’t give you ANY idea where he’s talking about. Then I remembered where he meant. Yeah, yeah, he’s not the guy that’s usually there but his assistant and there was one day when the owner or head guy wasn’t there and this guy was manning the store. He wasn’t allowed to sell anything so I had to wait until the other guy returned. That was months ago. How can Italians have such good memories about meeting me? Anyway he said, “Yes, yes get a photo to send back to America” So we ran out into the rain and I snapped a few photos as best I could. He said he really needed to get this last delivery done and I said don’t stay for me. And so he putted off into the rainy night with one last tree to deliver. So it stands that this little town can still amaze me.
It also reminds me. That’s the place where I bought my lemon tree. I’m happy to report that it didn’t die in August like I thought. In fact, it has a ton of blooms that are just getting ready to open. If half of these turn into lemons then I’ll be having homemade limoncello next year. Because we all know that when life gives you lemons, make limoncello. Stay tuned.


This isn't my lemon tree but I hope it will be like this some day.

Gianna e i Rinoplastici

Last night "Gianna e i Rinoplastici" (Gianna and the Nosejobs) rocked the Big Ben. This is the Rino Geatano Tribute band I told you about last month. The photo above is the lead singer getting into it. The guy in the back, you only see his head, is key to the band as he also plays the accordion for some of the songs. Last night he put his keyboard on some crazy steel drums setting for the song "Ahi Maria" to give it a more "Latino flavor".

Below is the bass and drums part of the band. The drummer is Marielena's brother so she always lets up know when they are playing. She probably has some good photos over on her Flickr page.

What's a band without fans? Nothing! And this band is lucky to have the best fans in Brindisi.


This last picture is left over from November and NaBloPoMo. I was trying some wines back then and therefore it was a bad month for wine glasses in my apartment. One was broken in the usual way, while washing it! This second one however broke spectacularly. I saw Nello and Mara playing while I was eating and I decided I would try to scare them when they weren't looking. I started to get up when I barely touched the glass and it glently fell over. It didn't break then so it casually rolled towards the opposite edge of the table. I lunged over the table to try to stop it and got their just in time to catch nothing but air. The glass fell on to the cold hard tile floor. Needless to say the cats were sufficiently scared at the end of this commotion and the following string of curse words. I hope Santa wasn't listening.

Wines all around me...

Ok I thought I should do a little explanation of the wines of the Salento. I was going to say Puglia but then I did a little research and I realized I don’t know many of the wines from the Bari and Foggia area. Keep in mind I’m not an expert and I just drink a lot. Wait, that didn’t come out right. Anyway this is just a quick guide. Puglia is know for it’s wines that "for drinking" (i.e. more in quantity than quality) and there 25 DOC varieties and 6 IGT. Puglia alone produces twice as much wine as all of Australia so you have to drink a lot to get a handle on the different wines. The photo shows some of the bottles of wine that I like.

First the grapes and there’s THE BIG 3, Primitivo, Negroamaro, and Malvasia Nera, in Salento (for red wines).

The king of Puglian wine is the Primitivo, but not just any Primitivo. The Primitivo di Manduria is considered the best. So you have to have Manduria, a town between Taranto and Lecce near the Ionian coast, on the label if want to impress your friends with your knowledge of Salento wines. The Primitivo grape must be pretty tough because it can take the heat of Salento in the summer. I think most of the Primitivos are aged only about 12 months maybe a little more and you drink them within 4 or 6 years. I have to admit that I wasn’t a big fan of Primitivos at first but the taste has grown on me. The wine has bite, as I call it, because it’s usually 14% or 14.5% alcohol.

The next grape is Negroamaro (I’m not talking about the Italian rock band!) I think I read that it’s actually the most abundant grape in Puglia so some people would say it’s the most important grape variety around here. There are a many wines that use the Negroamaro grape as you’ll see. I like a good wine that’s 100% Negroamaro as it has what I call a good fruity flavor to it.

In third place among the 3 is the Malvasia Nera grape. Just this week was the first time I’ve ever had a wine that was 100% Malvasia Nera grapes. And Mino warned me that it was sweet and it is the sweetest of the Puglia red wines. It doesn’t seem like a very popular wine because usually Malvasia Nera grapes are blended into Primitivo and Negroamaro grapes to make other wines. There are also two varieties of Malvasia Nera one “di Brindisi” and other “di Lecce”. When you start blending, as you’ll see below the types of wines seem endless.

One of my personal favorites of this blending is Salice Salentino. Salice Salentino is a town between Brindisi and Lecce and it’s also the name for a wine that is a blend of 85% Negroamaro and 15% Malvasia Nera. I think I like Malvasia Nera best in a small amount like it is in this wine. So I’ve decided that 100% Malvasia Nera is a little too sweet for me but 15% is a good hint of sweetness.

Then comes Squinzano, another town between Brindisi and Lecce, that has a wine that’s 70% Negroamaro and 30% Malvasia Nera so you get the picture. I prefer the Salice Salentino to this wine in most cases. I guess this confirms that I’ve discovered my level of sweetness I like in my wine about 15% Malvasia Nera but 30% is ok.

And it goes on and on and on like this usually with Malvasia Nera as the smaller percentage. The next wine I plan to try is Platone by Al Bano Carrisi. It’s 50% Negroamaro and 50% Primitivo. I don’t think I’ve ever had a wine that was 50/50. Well I probably have but I just didn’t realize it at the time. Wow this is getting too long quickly. I didn’t even talk about using oak barrels or steel tanks or bottles to age the wine. I guess I should encourage you to experiment and find out what you like. Start with a Negroamaro or Primitivo and then try some of the blends. Enjoy

How about a little on white wines…

White wines are little easier. In the Salento they are generally cultivated in the hills of Locorotondo and Martina Franca. Their wines are made with the grape varieties Verdeca, Bianco d’Alessano, along with Fiano and Bombino Bianco. There are some other varieties of white wines in the Salento including Trebbiano, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, and Pinot Bianco. I think the Chardonnay and Sauvignon are catching on, as they are more recognizable to people outside Puglia. If they want to export wines they need the right names. There is a Salento Bianco IGT that’s 100% Chardonnay and another that’s 70% Sauvignon and 30% Chardonnay. I like the Verdeca from Locorotondo myself.

This image below I took from the www.tablewine.com site but the link to their source of it didn't work. It was from some government website. This link will take to an ungly but informative version of this image.

Antitourism in Brindisi

Well I'm cooling down a little after being pissed off at Brindisi this morning (I have Nora Jones playing while I write this). I guess I got of bed with the wrong state of mind. I had my first person push "my button" this morning at 8:00 AM!!!!! Porca... Mannaa... I immediately remembered a little conversation with my landlord. He asked if was ok if the man to clean the caldaie (water heater) comes on Saturday morning. I foolishly said yes so there he was at exactly 8:00 AM ringing my bell! I jumped out of bed. I rang him into the building and threw clothes over my pajamas. Thirty minutes later he's gone and I think he spent most of the time writing the bill but that doesn't matter because now I can't go back to sleep.
I decide this a perfect chance to do something I've been meaning to do. You see the photo in this post is of the wonderful "Sailor's Monument" made by everyone's friend Mussolini. I have been tharwted at least three times from going up to the top to savour the wonderful views of Brindisi. This time I was going to be there in time. It's only open in the morning so Saturday morning is my only chance. I get over there and it's open but I can't up to the top. Why was I blocked? Because I had a camera! What?!! I was so upset (to put it nicely). He said you can't go up there with a camera! "It's a Zona Militare". This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. They're afraid you'll take a photo of Navy Base (an castle built by Frederick II around 1200s) across the bay. I wanted to argue just for the fun of it but I could see he was happy to enforce this stupid rule. Never mind that every Italian that goes up there has a cell phone with a camera on it (some have cameras of 5MP now!) and all of them take a few photos. He said if that's true then they are risking being arrested for spying. What a joke!

Then I went over to the Theater Verdi to see the ruins under theater that are now open. I asked if I could take pictures. Guess what. He asked to see my camera. I showed him my new Digital SLR proudly. He said, "With that camera, NO!" WHAT?! Because I have a good camera that takes good photos he said no! This time I argued. He buckled and said OK but if I don't take any "detailed photos". I planned on writing whole posts about these two tourist attractions but now I don't feel like it. This is the one good photo I got under the theater.
All I can say now is Brindisi is merda for tourism. Sorry about the language but what is a tourist going to think. You can come but don't bring a camera. Good job Brindisi. Theater Verdi no GOOD cameras, Svevo Castle closed to tourists because they still use it(it was built in 1200s come on splurge a little Italy), Sailor's Monument no cameras, the little Argonese Castle out in bay also still being used by the Italian Navy and closed (what the he** could they be using that little stone castle for these days).

Tomorrow maybe I'll talk about how Brindisi is being cut out of the tourism map anyway. Trains that are no longer coming here. Flights only to Bari. Maybe it's better that way. Brindisi is not ready for tourists.

There is good news. I stopped at the farmer's market and picked up some minestrone. Cosimo's sister was still cutting up the veggies for the perfect cold weather soup when I arrived. It was only then that I realized there is pumpkin in my minstrone. I knew there was carrot for orange color but I didn't realize there was pumpkin too. It doesn't have a real pumpkinny flavor.

Sign Sign Everywhere a Sign!

A couple of strange things happened yesterday and I’m not sure what to make of it. The first thing occured when I went to the Sweet Sweet Way store. It’s a candy store on the main drag in town. I felt it was fitting that I go there the day after the dentist visit. The old guy working there said “Ciao, Jeff”. Now I don’t stop and converse with him like I do in other stores. I also don’t go in there nearly as often as other places but yet our relationship has moved up a notch. This is stranger because I don’t know his name. Then coming home from hanging out on the street, ok it’s not hanging out, it’s the passeggiata. I stopped to talk to some people that are always next door to the pizza place. Among this group there are 3 very young girls that are always talking to Antonio and Maurizio and just out of curiosity I asked their names because they are practically part of the pizzeria family so I should know who they are. The strange thing is that I remember their names, Rosella, Illaria, and Francesca. I wonder if remembering Italian names is becoming easier. I wonder if I’ve been exposed to these Italian names enough to make connections. I also commented that Rosella is very close to Rosetta (there is a Rosetta at work) and it worked. I seemed to be keeping them straight, for now.
Anyway I noticed another strange thing that is by far the strangest. My name is now on my button on the front of the building. Now you may say “Big Deal” but it’s very strange to me. I’ve been living in this same apartment for over 4 years and the whole time my name has been on that button but only because I wrote it on a piece of paper and then taped it on the button. The weather would take its toll and I would change it every few months. Now my name is printed in plastic and under the clear button cover like everyone else, but why now?

Strange isn’t it. My name just doesn’t seem to go along with the others. You’ll notice something that maybe you didn’t know. There are two last names for most apartments. That’s because Italian women almost never take their husband’s last name. That throws a lot of foreigners off when they come to Italy and do paperwork. If you’re married they are still expecting two different last names. Most of my readers probably know this but I thought it was worth a mention. Also notice how my name has a hyphen in it like everyone else’s. I guess there is one person living here with the last name Jeff and he or she is married to someone with the last name Gromen. It could happen. We foreigners have strange names, not like Italians. See Cacciapaglia that literally means strawhunt or huntstraw in the order it is here.
Maybe my landlord has grand designs that I’m going to buy that apartment. He says he’s going to sell it when I move out. I was a little curious about buying it and then I asked Marco what he thinks the guy would ask for and then I went into a state of shock. The thought escaped my mind very quickly. It would be 3 times the cost of my house in the US, no 4 times with the current exchange rates!!!!
This last photo is exchange from the old passport to the new. The old one can barely stand these days. The new one is ready to see the world. I hope!

Day 11 The Big Game

I've never been a big fan of rugby until I saw it on TV and learned the rules. Now I find it very interesting because I know there are only certain aspects of the game that are brutal. There's also a lot of discipline and ball handling skills required. So, today I went to a Brindisi Rugby match. My friend Matteo plays for Brindisi and he always tells us about the game but somehow on Sunday afternoon everyone's occupied by soccer or sleeping. I awoke to a beautiful day and I knew I had to make it to this game (usually the weather can be real crap too). It was a well played game on our side especially because Brindisi trashed Lecce by about 28 to 11. I know Brindisi had at least 28 but I couldn't tell if some of the kicks were good or not. There was no scoreboard or announcer to tell you what was going on. It was a great game to watch but only because I know the rules now. If I hadn't watched it on TV I would have been frustrated not knowing why they stopped.
Brindisi really did well in all aspects of the game.


Brindisi scored its first 3 points on a penalty.


My buddy Matteo is about to kill that guy if he picks up the ball at the edge of the scrum. In the end the guy wussed out.


The Lecce player gets up high on a lineout.


The Brindisi team is made up of kids and adults. They have plenty of subs which really worn down Lecce. I was worried at the start because the Lecce team is a university team so they're all about the same age and appeared to have played together more.


I call this one "trouble". Time to pass the ball kid!!!

Day 3 Mama Roots

So last night THE thing to do was go to the concert of Mama Roots at the Big Ben. Mama Roots is a local reggae band that never fails to please the Brindisinos. I still remember the first time I saw them at an outdoor concert in Sava. I’m not a big reggae fan but when you’re in a crowd that’s all bouncing to that reggae beat you can’t help but join in. I’ve also noticed that the whole Salento area seems to feel a connection of sorts to the Caribbean. Is it the palm trees, beach, and laid-back lifestyle that they have in common? Who knows?
I managed to get copy of their CD "La Voce Di Chi" soon after that first show so now I’m able to sing along. I have a good story about them. They are so good that later that night after the first time I saw them I dreamt that I married the lead singer’s sister. It was hilarious because you see in the dream I skipped over the whole wedding ceremony and went to the reception where Mama Roots was playing in a big masseria in the countryside. Everyone who is anyone was invited and those that weren’t were at home crying. If you want to hear them then go to their MySpace. I recommend "pupazzo"
I realize now that this month may get tough. So I think I will open up this blog to answer any questions that you all in the viewing public have. I think the question I get the most is something like this, “What the hell is an American doing living and working in Brindisi?” Or “Why are here (there)?” I don’t think I’ve ever given a real story so maybe I will, tomorrow.

Day 2...Ugh this is tough. Casale

My best laid plans were of no use today. I could go on about “How could they…?” Or “Why did…? But let’s just cover what I was able to do. First of all, the rain was terrible yesterday and it didn’t let up as I thought it would. It was so bad that one of the staff of the Lecce soccer team was killed yesterday when he was struck by lightening. The team was out having there last workout before the game on Saturday when he was hit in the middle of the stadium field. One player and the coach were also thrown to the ground in the shock. The game on Saturday is going to be postponed.
This reminds me that I don’t hear about the danger of lightening strikes here like you do in the Midwest. Back there you’re constantly reminded of the danger (usually in the form of a tree split down the middle). I think lightening strikes to the ground are pretty rare here. I very rarely see clear bolts of lightening and hear loud crashes like in the summer in Indiana or Ohio. It seems here you see flashes of light in the clouds and hear rumbles but that’s cloud-to-cloud lightening. It’s not nearly as threatening. I have no scientific proof that’s just what I noticed. And yes I used to sit on my porch in Indianapolis and watch thunderstorms. There is just something cool about watching a good mid-summer thunderstorm roll in.
Today on the other hand is beautiful. I took a little boat ride over to the area of town called Casale. It’s on the other side of the harbor from the centro storico. It’s where some of the nicer houses are and rich people live. My boss in Rome said that should be where I start my search for an apartment when I first arrived. I admit there was a place over there that was a close second on my list. The only thing that drove me away was that they said the garage for my car wasn’t exactly done, but it would be “soon”. I knew what that meant. So today I went over and poked my camera in a few gates. This is what I found in one.


And this is what I found in another.

A slight difference...
Also hidden amongst some of these mansions that overlook the sea is a small area where fishermen live and work. Again, I was too shy to take photos of the fishermen. Some of them would have perfect but you see those photos in other blogs.

Day 1...This is easy!

The photo today is from last night. This is one I took of CatsnJoe before they started playing at Mr Browns. They were dressed up for Halloween as well as the staff and some people watching. CatsNJoe (this is a link to their MySpace) are hard rocking garage band good for a party night like Halloween. Below is a photo to show a little more how the whole stage area was done up for Halloween. Silvia (the lead singer and fidizanta of Luca) is very animated when she sings. She's like a boxer that's nice a friendly outside of the ring but once the bell sounds. Look out.


Day 1 is easy because of the Ognissanti holiday. Most businesses are closed so there isn't much to do. All the Italians are going to the cemetery to pay they respects to relatives that have passed away. I thought about going over there as I'm sure that would be some good photos with all the flowers but I woke up to thunder and lightening so going over just to see what's going on doesn't seem like a good idea. Although as I write this it's being to lighten up so maybe I will take a stroll around town.

Goldoni

So the newest music pub is open. Thursday night the place was packed and rocking. This first photo is outside early in the night. As you can see there is not much to see outside but there is room for smokers to hang out, which is important. The cars make good places to put your beer while outside.


Inside you see that the place has the barrel shaped roof. You are surrounded in yellow, or gold light. I took this photo from the stairs as you head into the main room. It's in the basement of 3 story building. Nice layout with a long bar on one side and all the tables on other. The beers are good but it's officially a wine bar so I'll be tasting those in the future. I'm not sure how old this place is but I was told that this place was a bomb shelter in World War II. Then it was a pizzeria until now.


The band Creme had the honor of playing the first night. They have a new CD out called Sulla Collina. There is a screen behind the stage to show videos or CALCIO.

Frigo part 2

So R2R wants to know what’s in the fridge. That’s a little scary when you mention that it’s a window into your soul so let’s see what I have in my soul….(quite fitting this close to Halloween and All Saints Day).
The top shelf is a bottle of white wine chilling nicely, Fanta, and coffee. I’ll admit it, that’s not Illy coffee in that can. I’m just using the nice can the Illy people give you. It’s really Moka, the cheap stuff. I swear the middle shelf was like that before the photo and I’m not sure why I didn’t put this fruit in the fruit drawer. I’m usually kinda of anal about that. It has a special drawer for fruit, dammit. I have a peroche (cross of peach and something else), 1 pear, 2 Chinese oranges (think that’s what they are called), and 2 mandarins. In the cheese drawer just below them, you can’t see it, but there is grated Parmesan. The next shelf down we have: a half empty jar of Old El Paso Salsa Mejecan, half empty jar of Barilla sauce (Tuna flavor, hey I didn’t feel like cooking after the gym yesterday), beer, and leftover Pizza. In my drawers you have one potato and one onion in the vegetable side and 1 lemon and grapes on the fruit side. The meat drawer below is currently empty except for garlic. A little old lady told me that’s the best place to keep garlic and it does seem to keep well down there. On the door we have 6 eggs, some butter, 3 bottles of Aperol soda (which I hate so they will be there adding color to my fridge until someone else drinks them) and some orange juice.
That’s exactly how my fridge was when I got home yesterday. I thought about shopping to make it look better and more interesting but I have a more interesting shot of my frigo back here… That was in May of last year. Amazing the difference. Si?
I'm not going to tag anyone for reasons I've mentioned in the past. I love doing these but not tagging people. However, I would love to see what Lori and Kent have. I'm sure it's full of crazy stuff!

MY verdicts are here!

My review of Marco’s playing? Well, I kinda missed it. When I arrived he was already done playing. But hey I wasn’t the only one surprised by the early start. Mr. Browns is in a building surrounded by people trying to sleep so they had to start the music “on time” which should be translated as “very early”. I mean if they say the music starts at 22:00 nobody really expects the music to start then, but in this case it did. So we can add this to the list of reasons I don’t like Mr. Browns for music. Other weekend updates. South Africa won the Rugby World Cup Saturday night and I was able to see the game at Goblins Pub (Thanks to Francesco, we kicked the Inter fans out). Kimi won the Formula 1 Championship on Sunday. My theory that it’s all rigged was confirmed when Lewis Hamilton had some strange problem shifting gears and ended up in 7th place, which gave Kimi the win by one point. How convenient and Amanda shares my views so it’s not just me. And last but not least, I didn’t go to the Olive sagra as the weather didn’t cooperate. In related news, the heat came on for the first time in my apartment this year. Meanwhile my mom calls and tells me that in Cincinnati it was going up to 82F Sunday. Son of a ….. Still, wait until January! I’ll have my revenge then!
There is good news from this weekend. Another “Music Pub” is about to open THIS THURSDAY. It WILL be a good place for music! I’m excited and a little cautious about it though. You see Ottavio has been saying this new pub of his is going to open for about two years now. Last week he gave me a date for the first time, it was October 25 and I jokingly thought to myself, “he didn’t say what year!” He showed me the plans for this bar probably 3 years ago when he was running the Thomas Inn. This new place will be long and skinny with the band stage at one end. Therefore everyone in the place should be able to see the band. This will make it the only small indoor venue that is set up for music. So many of the pubs have music but they are strange shapes that don’t work if you are trying to have a concert. Most have tables two feet from the band or the stage is right next to the door so you can’t get in. As a bonus he’s also going to have free wifi inside. So this will be the first place in Brindisi to offer free wifi (besides one of the hotels, but I can’t use that free wifi spot). He even mentioned that there are two acts touring Italy from the US that will play at his place this winter. Otavio is a big fan of Jazz and Blues (and plays the trumpet himself) so I’m interested to see whom he gets. Most places around here will get whomever they can to play but I think Ottavio will work harder to get better musicians. Plus he seems to know people in the business from his playing days.
Other news. Maria elena showed me her photos that are now online at Flickr. Once again I’m reminded how boring my photos are. Take a look at her photos here to see more interesting and artistic shots around Brindisi.
Her picture of a soap bubble alone is worth look over there. It’s amazing and I’m jealous because I would never think to take a photo like that. But the photo for today is one I took of her about this time last year on Andrea’s Harley.

How was your weekend?

Really, so how was your weekend? While you think about it...
Mine was pretty boring except for a few things. The most exciting thing is that the Big Ben opened Friday night, which according to Erika it means, “It’s winter!!!” I think she’s going overboard but IT IS the non-summer hang out. The Big Ben is always trying to be a better pub and they have succeeded secondo me (according to me). They have added a “magic Guinness” to their beers. Let me explain. They pour a Guinness from a can into a glass. They put the glass in a little machine and puff… the carbonation and cascading of a Guinness happens right before your eyes. It’s like a Guinness from “alla spina a Dublino”. The magic is cool but most importantly, it’s pretty tasty and probably the best Guinness I’ve had since the days of the Henry Gratten in Broadripple. I wonder if Austin reads my blog? How could I find out? I know I remember how much I love visiting the country of Great Britain, but I don’t understand why they use the euro in Ireland and the pound in London. That should generate an email or two unless the company email filter picks up Irish curse words….
Then Saturday night I had a huge dinner with coworkers (there was about 40 to 50 including family members!). A group that size needs a whole masseria, which is what we had but it was outside. That’s a problem because it’s a little cold to be eating outside so you could tell that by the end the night that no one would be hanging around after dessert and an amaro. To my surprise there was entertainment included in this dinner. I’ll put it nicely and say I was amazed and frightened by coworkers’ ability to sing. You see it was Karaoke night, which is not my favorite night, anywhere. Of course they kept trying to get me up to sing, “qualcosa in inglese”. I believe my choices were mainly Frank Sinatra songs. I’m sorry guys, but I REALLY can’t sing and I KNOW I can’t. Yes, yes, I know we’re all friends and as a friend I wouldn’t want to subject you to me singing “My Way”. I’m being a friend by NOT singing.
Daniele and family. One of my caffe` dependents. Notice the Karaoke microphone close by.
Claudio and family and part of the appetizer


Then I Sunday I decided I wanted to try my digital Rebel out in Lecce. I realized that I might be able to get all of Santa Croce in one shot. Guess what, even with a lens that goes down to 18mm you can’t get the whole church in. For crying out loud, why did they build that church on such a narrow street?! I also wanted to get a picture of the column we discussed last week. The latest on that fight is that it seems the mayor of Cursi (in the province of Lecce) is offering Brindisi a perfect replica of our column made out Lecce stone. Nice try buddy. That Lecce stone column would be more at home IN LECCE! As I was heading back to Brindisi I had the brilliant idea to get a picture of the wind farm they built near Lecce. It looks sooo close to the Autostrada but then I tried to get “there” and oh what fun.

The column that's not in it's rightful place.


Does this look like the right road to the wind farm? There's no one to ask for directions, not that I would.

The wind farm! These babies are huge. Puglia is one of the leaders in wind power in Italy. Brindisi is working on a 11 MW photovoltaic site near where I work.

Return the 2000-year-old marble column and no one will get hurt!

Something has been in the local news lately and I love it because it sparked a good debate after lunch in the office. I was really getting into it. I’ve mentioned in the past how Brindisi historically is known as the town at the end of Via Appia, which is the greatest road in the Roman Empire (history according to me!). I have also told you that the end of the Via Appia was marked in Brindisi with two marble Roman columns, which are the symbol of the town. I also have mentioned that Lecce, for some odd reason, has one of the columns in Piazza Oronzo in Lecce with their patron Saint Oronzo on top of it.
(cue the music)
Now....
The rest of the story....
In Brindisi the popular story is that Lecce is a bunch of thieves and they stool the column back around 1660. Lecce believes that the column was a gift, which sounds like something a bunch of lying, cheating thieves would say. I’m not trying to influence you or something. Recently the mayor of Brindisi started asking the mayor of Lecce to please give us back our column and we’ll stop calling them lying, cheating, ugly, good-for-nothing thieves. I, for one, would love to see both columns back in Brindisi overlooking the sea like they are supposed to be. Why now? Well just recently Brindisi finished a restoration of the capital of the column we have. The capital is sooo precious that Brindisi is putting it in the “Salone di Colonna” (basically indoors to keep in preserved) instead of back on top of the column we have. They on the other hand are letting our column fall apart. Our column in Lecce has metal bands on it to hold it together under the weight of their fricken saint!
I should be fair. The big question should be, why would Brindisi give such a beloved piece of the town to Lecce? Well this is good story. It seems in 1528 one column fell over. No one is quite sure why but the common belief is that an earthquake caused it. I think someone from Lecce knocked it down, have you seen how they drive? Anyway, history is sketchy back then because Brindisi was hit with The Plague in 1526. Naturally putting the column back up was not a priority as people were dying in the streets. The column sat in pieces and not much is known until in 1660 when the column was erected in Lecce with a bronze of Saint Oronzo on it, like it is today. The theory is that sometime between 1528 and 1659 Brindisi gave the column to Lecce because Saint Oronzo liberated Brindisi from The Plague. That sounds like a reasonable reason to give the column away but Brindisi claims (and always has) that San Rocco liberated Brindisi from The Plague so there wouldn’t be any gifting of nothin’ between Brindisi and Lecce. There is even a record from November 2, 1659 in Naples of the mayor of Brindisi asking for the column to be returned but it was denied. So even before it was put up, Brindisi was asking for it back and now 348 years later and we are still asking. Sorry I went back to being a little one sided there again.
There is a response from the mayor of Lecce and I’ll just say it’s long and boring and definitely written by someone in politics. He even mentions at one point “Where would Lecce put its statue of Saint Oronzo?” Boy, do I have a response to that!!!!!

This jaded history is taken from the site below which is a Brindisi site so even my original story is from the Brindisi perspective….but you can’t trust those Leccese anyway… http://www.provincia.brindisi.it/provbr/storiatradizioni.nsf/3e86072a2032ae07c1256cf40039e714/51a1062d34b7b7a2c1256cf5003db251?OpenDocument

The "A" Bus

Ok, back to all things Pugliese! Have I ever told you the story about the bus to the airport here in Brindisi? I still remember when I found out about it. I was sooo happy. A bus that goes from a stop near my apartment almost directly to the airport, it seemed to good to be true. Well this past weekend is the very first time that I’ve taken the bus TO and FROM the airport!!! Yeah for me! I don’t ask people to take me to the airport because I almost always leave on the 6:40 AM flight to Rome and I don’t like getting up early for that flight so I’m not going to ask someone else to do it too. I don’t ask people to pick me up because the planes, naturally, never get in on time. So a taxi or a bus are the only real options, although I noticed the parking at the airport is open again, but don’t get me started on how much that costs.
Anyway back to the topic at hand. The bus is the perfect option. The first bus of the day is actually timed to get you there in plenty of time for the first flight of the day so all I have to do is catch it. So why did everything work this past weekend and not in the past? One reason is in August I learned of the new route. Not from the guy who sells tickets or a schedule but from a little old lady at 5:30 AM in the morning. She sees me at the stop with my suitcase and says the airport bus just went by on the next street over. I’m convinced she’s crazy because the sign next to me clearly has the “A” on to signify that this is where the airport bus stops. About 10 minutes later it becomes evident to me that she is in fact not crazy because there is no sign of the bus I’m waiting for. I jump in a taxi and pay 20 euro to make it to the airport in time to catch my plane. So in August I learned that the route changes. From this I have also learned to look for route changes not at the bus station but to go visit the bus stop a few days before I intend to use it. I check to see if the bus does indeed stop there, because the route could change again by the time I take another flight. The change was incredibly small but nonetheless just enough.
Then coming from the airport to my apartment I learned another valuable fact in August. This is probably the most important lesson for you all out there in cyberspace because you can take this bus from the Brindisi airport to the train station (and to catch the ferries but that's a bit of walk). This last trip was different because I only had one carry on so when the plane landed I went straight out of the airport. Low and behold the bus is right there waiting for me just like I always dreamed it would be. I did a double take because it must be the wrong bus or something. I soon learn why I’ve never seen it because as soon as I get on the driver gets in and takes off. I’m looking back and only one or two other passengers with only carry on have come out of the terminal. Didn’t the driver want to wait a minute or two to see if anyone else was going to take the bus? The moral. People with checked baggage will not catch the bus. Actually I’ve learned that if I want the bus and I have checked bags then I’ll have to be patient. In the past I see no bus and I have no idea if it’s on schedule so I usually break down and get a cab. Now I know the bus has just left and will be back in about 15 minutes. So next time I’ll wait and not pay 20 euros to get me where the bus takes me for 80 cents!!! I even wonder if it’s a scam too because who would take a cab if the bus was there. The cab drivers may ask the bus to “get lost” before the rest of the passengers can catch the bus.
So you all can learn from my mistakes!! One the bus route can change so ask me if you plan to take the bus. Two the bus into town probably has just left before you walked out of the terminal so tell the taxi driver politely, “vaffancula” and wait for the bus. Oh and I should warn you that the ticket will be 1.60 euro if you buy it on the bus and 80 cents if you get it from the tobacco shop in the airport. That’s all.

Also there is supposed to be a Pasta Strike today in Italy to protest the rising price of pasta but at lunch I already crossed the picket lines! Actually everyone was eating pasta so as far as I can see this was the worst organized strike of all time. And here I was ready to eat steak and potato chips all day!

Ciao Estate!!!

Well another Saints' Festival is over and so is summer. Now some of you out there will think I’m crazy to write that, after all it was in the 90’s last week, so how can I say summer is over just because the calendar is September. Believe me I know, and so does Mother Nature. On September 1 the hot Scirocco wind from the south departed and the cool Maestrale from the northwest took its rightful place. The weather here is much more predictable than the weather of the Midwest. When the wind changes so does the season. Now I can look forward to comfortable temperatures with a chance for rain every once in while. Put away the sun tan lotion and beach towels. Bring on the long sleeve shirts and jeans jacket!
The festival in town is over. So what are the highlights you ask?
When I walked past the Monsignor on the podium he was calling out parts of the town trying to get everyone ready for ceremony when the boat parade arrives. He was saying things like “Who here is from the Sant’Elia parish? Who’s from Paradiso? Come on, I want to hear you!” I laughed because it felt like I was at rock concert.
The fireworks show actually started 10 minutes EARLY. What was up with that? I’ve never heard of starting them early.
There was no new gadget for sale this year. Last year the new gadget was these two magnets that you throw up in the air together. In the air they rub and make an annoying cricket like sound that stops when you catch them. All the kids were buying them so you heard the sound everywhere.
There's no saints fastival without "copeta". This is almonds coated in caramelized sugar. Did I say sugar? So you know why this comes first according to me...
Let's not forget the reason for fest! Here is San Teodoro riding the white horse. He's paraded around town several times but for this photo he's in the temporary gazebo in the middle of town.
Fireworks are always a hit.


Kids and their rides..


Outside my apartment Saturday night. Actually, only 14 of these cars are illegally parked. The parking madness gets worse the closer you get to the sea. That's why I love living in town. My car always has a home in the garage.